The Adobe Standard camera profile is accurate for most mainstream cameras (typically Canon and Nikon), but for other cameras (particularly Sony), it may be incorrect. Irrespective of accuracy, the Adobe Standard profile can lack contrast, warmth or colour when used as a starting point, and you may be better off starting with one of the other profiles, depending on your composition. Adobe Camera Raw, which lets you import and enhance raw images, is a tool for professional photographers. Creative Cloud apps that support Adobe Camera Raw include Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, After Effects, and Bridge. Adobe has released Adobe Lightroom CC 2015.1 and 6.1, Adobe Camera Raw 9.1, and a corresponding DNG Converter 9.1 update. There’s also a Lightroom Mobile 1.5 update, as well as Photoshop CC 2015.1.All are free updates for current licenses of the software; update links are at the end of this article. Lightroom and Camera Raw should use lens profiles that have been generated from raw-capture files. This is because the vignette estimation and removal should be measured directly from the raw linear sensor data rather than from a gamma-corrected JPEG or TIFF image.
Even though Lightroom has had the ability to customise the default camera settings since version 1.1 it seems that many users still persist in creating and applying develop Presets during import or later. Don't get me wrong, develop presets have their uses, but having to filter photos according to Model, Serial Number or ISO speed rating in order that the appropriate develop preset can be applied is both time consuming and in many instances unnecessary. My guess is that users either don't realise that Lightroom is already capable of automating much of this work or don't understand how/when to use this feature.
Update: 8 June 2010 - Screen shots and text revised to match Lightroom 3
So what is the 'Set Develop Settings' command and when should we use it?
As noted above both Lightroom and Camera Raw include support for the saving and application of user defined develop settings on a camera model, serial number and/or ISO rating basis. These settings will be applied automatically to each photo during import or after a reset if it is already within the catalog. By adopting this approach Lightroom provides a means by which much of the decision making and application of custom or userdefined defaults for develop settings is fully automated. Better still is the fact that the defaults saved in Lightroom will automatically be used by Camera Raw and vice versa.
Using 'Set Develop Settings' in Lightroom
The default behaviour in Lightroom is to apply the Adobe default develop settings (see settings bounded in yellow in figure 1 below) and camera profile to all photos. For many photographers this might be satisfactory, but for others (e.g. those who shoot mixed photos from low to high ISO speed rating and/or use multiple cameras) it still leaves a lot of work for them to do after import. Fortunately, Lightroom provides the functionality required to satisfy the needs of both groups. The means to ensure that Lightroom works the way each group wants is found in Lightroom Preferences (figure 2 below) and Develop module Photo menu.
Figure 1 - Lightroom Default Develop Settings
Note the two checkboxes within the red boundary line. With these two checkboxes we have the ability to automatically apply customised default develop settings and/or camera profiles to each photo on the basis of serial number and/or ISO speed rating.
Figure 2 - Lightroom Preferences
Tip 1: Adobe Camera Raw preferences also includes the same two checkboxes mentioned above - click here for screenshot. To access these preferences use the Cmd/Ctrl+K keyboard shortcut from within Camera Raw
Non Camera Specific Settings
Camera Profiles For Lightroom Cc
Occasionally, you may wish to apply custom develop settings to all photos from a particular camera model irrespective of the serial number or ISO speed rating. Such settings might include Blacks, Clarity, Vibrance, Tone Curve, etc. The steps in the process of customising the default Lightroom develop settings are fairly straight forward -
Open Lightroom Preferences (see figure 2 above)
Ensure the checkmark associated with both 'Make defaults specific to camera serial number' and 'Make defaults specific to camera ISO setting' is set to Off
Open a photo shot with the camera model you're defining the custom default develop settings for
Adjust any develop values you want to apply to all photos from this camera model (example shown in figure 3 below)
Choose 'Set Default Settings' from Photo menu in Develop module. A dialog similar to figure 4 will open
Press the 'Update to Current Settings' button
Figure 3 - Custom Develop Settings
(Note: the settings shown above are examples only)
Figure 4 - Custom settings for any copy of a specific camera model
Tip 2: As an alternative to accessing the command via the Photo menu you can hold down the Option key (Mac) or Alt key (Windows). This keyboard modifier changes the Develop module Reset button to Set Default.., whilst holding down the Shift key changes it to Reset (Adobe). Remember to use the standard Reset button after using either so that the new settings can be applied. Also, note that because the develop settings are defined as 'defaults' no badge will appear in bottom right corner of thumbnails id Grid view.
So, with both preference checkboxes shown in figure 2 above set to Off it's possible to apply these defaults to all photos from a particular camera model (e.g. any Canon EOS 5D). This use of the 'Set Default Settings' command can be used to define the 'look' that you prefer as the starting point for all photos from this camera model. All newly imported photos or any already edited photos that you decide to reset will automatically have these settings applied to them.
Another area were non camera specific settings could be applied as defaults would be Camera Profiles. So, what are these profiles and where do I get them?
In versions of Lightroom prior to 2.0 the default camera profile took the form of a simple matrix profile embedded within the application itself. Typically, they would have names such as ACR 2.4, ACR 3.3, ACR 4.4, etc. The actual name related to the version of Camera Raw in which the specific camera model was first supported. To alter the affects of these profiles it was necessary to adjust the Hue and Saturation sliders within the Camera Calibration panel. However, this was extremely complicated and very time consuming, which resulted in many users ignoring the capability altogether. As of Lightroom 2.0 / Camera Raw 4.5 Adobe changed tack and released a Profile Editor and newly designed calibration profiles for each supported camera. The new camera profiles were intended to address many of the criticisms levelled at the earlier profiles and at the same time allow them to be edited by the user. The initial camera profiles were designated as beta and Adobe encouraged as much feedback as users could provide. This user feedback was very helpful and assisted the engineers in their task of refining the profiles. The final versions shipped as part of the Lightroom 2.2 / Camera Raw and DNG Converter 5.2 updates. Going forward, Adobe plan to include new and occasionally improved camera profiles for supported cameras with each update to Lightroom and Camera Raw, which would then be automatically installed as part of the update process.
Even though the new camera profiles use a common name (i.e. Adobe Standard) they are, like their forebear's, still camera specific. This means that the correct Adobe Standard profile for any given camera is automatically selected. In addition, some camera models from Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Leica have additional camera profiles that are intended to emulate the characteristics of the camera vendors own special shooting modes (e.g. Canon Pictures Styles such as Standard, Landscape, Neutral, Portrait and Faithful). Figure 5 below shows the full set of camera profiles for the Canon EOS 5D.
As mentioned above, the new Adobe Standard camera profiles will be used automatically with newly imported photos, but photos already within your catalog will continue to use the original profiles. This particular behaviour was included so as to ensure that the new camera profiles do not alter the appearance of photos already within the catalog that were edited using the original matrix profiles such as ACR 3.3.
Again, and as with custom develop settings described above it is a fairly easy task to make any of the camera profiles your default for a particular model. The steps are as follows:
Ensure the checkmark associated with both 'Make defaults specific to camera serial number' and 'Make defaults specific to camera ISO setting' is set to Off
Open a photo shot with the camera model you're defining the custom default camera profile for
Select the appropriate camera profile (e.g. Camera Standard) from the available list in the Camera Calibration panel (figure 5 below)
Choose 'Set Default Settings' from Photo menu in Develop module. A dialog similar to figure 4 above will open
Press the 'Update to Current Settings' button
Figure 5 - Default Camera Profiles for Canon EOS 5D
Note: The older camera profiles such as ACR 4.4 and ACR 3.3 are not included if the camera was first supported after the release of Lightroom 2.2 / Camera Raw and DNG Converter 5.
Again, all newly imported photos or any already edited photos that you decide to reset will automatically have these settings applied to them. So, be careful which photos you select when going about a multiple reset.
Camera Specific Settings
Customised camera profiles is a good example of where serial number specific camera settings would be used. Why serial number? Well, it is often the case that two cameras of the same particular model will vary slightly in how they render specific colours. Before the introduction of Lightroom 2 users could alter the Calibration Settings in Lightroom Develop module or Camera Raw so that the discrepancies between the two cameras were reduced, if not eliminated. With the introduction of the new camera profiles and DNG Profile Editor it is now possible alter one of the Adobe camera profiles so that it more closely matches your requirements.
Tip 3: Discussing the DNG Profile Editor is beyond the scope of this tutorial. Nevertheless, for those interested in learning more Adobe has provided a number of tutorials on how to use the Editing tool.
The following is a listing of the steps required for setting custom camera profiles as the default for a specific camera:
Open Lightroom Preferences (see figure 2 above) and set the checkmark associated with 'Make defaults specific to camera serial number' to On and 'Make defaults specific to camera ISO' is Off
Open a photo shot with the camera model and serial number (important) you want to apply the edited camera profile to (any photo from this specific camera will suffice)
Choose 'Set Default Settings' from Photo menu in Develop module. A dialog similar to figure 7 will open (notice this version includes the camera serial number)
Press the 'Update to Current Settings' button
Figure 6 - Expanded set of Camera Profiles for Canon EOS 5D
Figure 7 - Custom settings for a specific camera by serial number
As before, all newly imported photos or any already edited photos that you decide to reset will automatically have these settings applied to them.
Default Noise Settings
Digital cameras will have different noise characteristics as the ISO speed rating is increased. So, it goes without saying that you will probably also want to define alternative values for individual ISO ratings. Also, and as with the other settings described above, noise settings can be different for each copy of a specific camera model.
Again, the remaining steps in the process of customising the camera default for different ISO ratings are fairly simple-
Open Lightroom Preferences (see figure 2 above) and set the checkmark associated with 'Make defaults specific to camera ISO' settings to On
Open a photo shot at the ISO rating to be defined in the camera default (example in figure 9 below shows ISO 800)
Adjust the Luminance Noise and/or Color Noise values (plus any others you prefer to move away from the Adobe defaults) to preferred value
Choose 'Set Default Settings' from Photo menu in Develop module. A dialog similar to figure 9 will open (notice this version includes the ISO speed rating)
Press the 'Update to Current Settings' button
Figure 8 - Preferred 'Detail' settings for ISO 800
Figure 9 - Custom settings for specific camera and ISO speed rating
Steps 2 through 5 in above procedure should be repeated for each ISO rating that you want to use your defaults rather than those defined by the Adobe default settings. Once your ISO specific settings have been entered Lightroom will check the EXIF data associated with each photo to determine whether it meets the criteria defined for ISO rating. If both match Lightroom will automatically apply the appropriate default settings to the photo.
Final Thoughts
With Lightroom configured as described above all new photos imported into Lightroom that match the criteria defined in the custom settings (e.g. camera model, serial number and ISO speed rating) will automatically be rendered using your custom develop settings. Also, and as previously explained, the new default settings will be only applied to photos already in your catalog after they have been reset, so don't forget this step.
To restore the Lightroom defaults you simply choose an appropriate photo (i.e. one from the relevant camera model, ISO rating, etc), choose 'Set Default Settings' from Photo menu, then press the 'Restore Adobe Default Settings' button. Finally, don't forget to reset the photos and rebuild the previews. Anything else? Yes..
Bonus points for spotting that Adobe Standard not only loses warmth, but also does a steller job enhancing chromatic aberration. The fun never stops.
One of the more tucked away features of Lightroom is the Camera Profile dropdown. It is right at the bottom of the develop module, under Camera Calibration.
The Adobe Standard setting (which you will see if you have not made any changes to camera calibration) gives you ‘untouched RAW’; that is, without the effects of any camera post processing (colour correction, sharpening, etc).
This is usually an accurate rendition of the raw data that came from your camera’s sensor and amplifier stage, but there are three potential problems;
The final RAW will not look like the image you saw in your LCD in-camera. That may be fine for many people (especially for those who use the optical viewfinder and have no time for that lying, overly vivid LCD!), but if you’ve ever watched as Lightroom imports your RAW images and seen how the initial colourful and contrasty thumbnails end up less contrasty and colourless then read on.
The initial RAW image appearance is rarely where you want to end up. Sure, it is more versatile than a JPEG for post processing, but the default RAW can be a little neutral and lacking in contrast and colour. This may lead to much more work in post processing, or worse, imply ‘this is how the scene looked, don’t dare change me’! It would sometimes be useful to get Lightroom to start with something close to one of your camera styles (portrait, landscape, etc), or the colour rendition of your camera LCD (I can hear the purists muttering darkly about LCD accuracy again, but bear with me!).
Adobe Standard can be incorrect. For some cameras (especially for non-Canon/Nikon), Adobe don’t always get it right. I’m a Sony user, and whenever I see Sony vs. Nikon vs. Canon review head-to-heads, I wince when I read conclusions of the form ‘Sony lacked colour accuracy’. It may well be closer to the truth that the reviewer had Camera Raw/Lightroom set to that pesky and somewhat inaccurate Adobe Standard for the Sony! Yes, I know Adobe create their profiles under strictly controlled lighting, and using much larger colour-range swatch cards than most other third parties use, but all that doesn’t appear to fit with the results I get.
Even if you are happy with Adobe Standard for your camera (and many are), there are a couple of workflows you might miss unless you know about camera calibration;
What Are Camera Profiles For Adobe Macs
You want to concentrate on just taking good compositions in the field, and worry about styles later. For example, you might be taking pictures of the kids in the park. You don’t want to worry about whether you should be using the portrait style or the landscape style when taking a particular shot. By shooting RAW and using the camera calibration dropdown in Lightroom, you can change styles after the event. Neat!
You want to use your camera’s styles, but also want to use camera RAW. When you come to import your RAW images into Lightroom, you will see your styles applied in the Import window thumbnails, but when Lightroom actually begins importing the RAWs, the styles disappear! RAW images do not include the styles (they are just as their name implies; raw, and with minimal in-camera processing). If you actually want to keep the styles, you have to reapply them by changing the camera profile from Adobe Standard to one that corresponds to your style.
Here’s an image that I imported with the Camera Calibration set to Adobe Standard, following minimum editing. It lacks the warmth in the sky I saw on the shoot (which kinda kills the composition, as the ‘cold snow to warm sun’ transition is the main deal in the shot). Of course, I could have corrected for this in Lightroom, but the issue is that when I looked at the LCD after taking the shot, colour looked fine. That plus the fact that I’d hung around on the day waiting for the sky to go that particular colour. Colour is important, or put another way, it was the only reason I’d been waiting in that damn cold for the sky to change!
For the second image, the first thing I did was to change the Camera profile from Adobe Standard to a free third party Sony camera profile (NB – Nikon and Canon users may have such profiles in the default Lightroom installation as long as you are using Lightroom 2.2/CameraRAW 5.2 or better, but you will of course still have to select away from ‘Adobe Standard’ to use them).
Update August 2013: Maurizio Piraccini Photography has posted an updated list of all Sony camera profiles (including everything from the Maxxum 5D right through to the RX100, and including NEX). See http://www.piraccini.net/2011/02/profili-colore-sony-a900-per-adobe-lr.html
Here’s the second image;
This is not the final image; there’s that odd white cloud to the top left that is drawing too much attention to itself for a start, but it is certainly a better starting point. Adobe Standard for Sony Alphas always gives a colder rendition. Check out the sunset oranges between the two images for a good example.
As the oranges are quite subtle at the reduced image size of this blog, you may also want to look at the close-up of a 100 pixel wide sky area (taken from just below the sun).
The area left of the arrows that uses my chosen profile (‘a500 faithful’) does not just have a warmer orange than the rather insipid version offered by Adobe Standard (right of the arrows), but is a different colour completely!
Yes, it really is that different and that obvious for the full size image!
Bonus points for spotting that Adobe Standard not only loses warmth, but also does a steller job enhancing chromatic aberration. The fun never stops.
The main point here though is that the second image (or the colour left of the arrows) is closer to what I expected the image file to look like when I took the photo, because it is closer to the image my camera LCD showed me on the day; this is the version I was working to and is the image I was trying to make look like the actual view I saw in the viewfinder.
Conclusion
The Adobe Standard camera profile is accurate for most mainstream cameras (typically Canon and Nikon), but for other cameras (particularly Sony), it may be incorrect.
Irrespective of accuracy, the Adobe Standard profile can lack contrast, warmth or colour when used as a starting point, and you may be better off starting with one of the other profiles, depending on your composition.
Adobe Standard will not correctly reflect the image in your camera’s LCD. Although the LCD is innacurate, it is the image that many photographers check against in the field, and is also at least consistently inaccurate (and therefore easy to correct once you have experience with a particular camera). It is therefore often desirable to select a profile that more fully reflect the LCD at least as a starting point in your post processing.
If you have set camera styles in-camera and also selected RAW, your profiles will be lost during import to Lightroom. The only way to get them back may be via the camera calibration dropdown. Alternatively, if you did not set styles in the field, you can experiment with them after the event using the camera calibration dropdown to add styles.
Update April 2011: Since writing this post, I have found a more accurate way of using camera profiles; you create your own profilestailored to a each particular shoot. See my post titled Colour Accuracy.
Notes
The Camera calibration profile I use with my Sony Alpha a500 can be found at http://www.nibdata.com/Sony_DSLR-A500_profiles.zip. Other Sony Alpha profiles (A100, A200, A230, A300, A330, A350, A380, A550, A700, A850, A900) can be found at http://www.nibdata.com/imprescindibles.html.
Canon and Nikon users already have the profiles for their camera available in the default installation of Lightroom 2.2 or later (or Camera RAW 5.2 and later) and typically won’t need to use third party profiles.
You can see another shot in the same series as the image used as an example here.
Camera RAW is not as some people assume, the raw output from your sensor, but the output of an amplifier stage (and associated analogue to digital converter) that immediately follows the sensor. The amplifier stage’s gain is set via your cameras ISO. As the RAW data is taken after the amplifier (mainly because the signal prior to this point is analogue), this explains why ISO is not something you can change later in Camera RAW/Lightroom even though you can change exposure. It also explains why some cameras give different colour and noise rendition (especially at high ISO, where the effect of the amplifier is greatest) even though they use the same sensor; some Sony and Nikon cameras share same sensors but have proprietary amplifier and A/D stages.
